§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost to date of his Department's vehicle integrated communications and information distribution system; what was the original total cost of this project at today's prices; what was the original in-service date; when the project is now due to be in service; and if he will specify the changes made to the project in the last two years. [17524]
§ Mr. FreemanThe total cost to date of the vehicle integrated communications and information distribution system—VICDS—is just over £5 million. The original estimated cost of developing VICDS to production standard at today's prices is £7.5 million; funding for production of VICDS is the responsibility of projects which require VICDS as their communications bearer. The original date for the completion of development was December 1994; VICDS development is now due to be completed in October 1997. VICDS will first enter service with Bowman whose in-service date is April 2000.
There have been no major changes to the VICDS requirement since the successful field trials in 1992. However, following a detailed project review in 1993, the Department revised the procurement strategy for VICDS to address the risks identified in the original programme and to align the VICDS timetable with that of project Bowman. Contracts for the current risk reduction phase were let with Racal Communications Systems Ltd. and Hunting Engineering Ltd. in August 1994.